The Role of Nuclear and Renewable Energy in Ensuring the Energy Security of Türkiye in the Face of New Challenges of Geo-economic Development

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46991/JOPS/2023.2.5.034

Keywords:

energy security, Türkiye, Turkish geo-economics, nuclear energy, renewable resources, energy federalism, Greater Middle East

Abstract

The article deals with the issues of Türkiye’s energy development on the issues of non-carbon energy sources, nuclear and renewable, which over the past 20 years have become new forms of energy for the country. It is most important to consider the aspects of their inclusion in the country’s unified energy citadel, to project certain problems in the country’s internal development. Despite the strategic approach of the Turkish government on the implementation of energy federalism in terms of renewable sources, where in fact each territorial and administrative unit determines the development vectors, there are certain trends towards unification and standardization in the nuclear energy industry. All this is projected onto the geo-economic field, strengthens the course of asserting energy independence in foreign policy, and also allows control (in particular, hydrological ones) over neighboring countries. The article also examines topical issues of a social and economic nature that have a direct impact on the political conjuncture of the ruling Justice and Development Party.

Author Biography

Mikayel Avanesyan, Russian-Armenian University

PhD  candidate of the Chair of World Politics and International Relations of the Institute Law and Politics at Russian-Armenian University

References

Adaman, Fikret, and Bengi Akbulut. 2021. “Erdoğan’s three-pillared neoliberalism: Authoritarianism, populism and developmentalism.” Geoforum 124: 279-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.12.013.

Ağbulut, Ümit, İlhan Ceylan, Ali Etem Gürel, and Alper Ergün. 2021. “The history of greenhouse gas emissions and relation with the nuclear energy policy for Turkey.” International Journal of Ambient Energy 42 (12): 1447-1455. https://doi.org/10.1080/01430750.2018.1563818.

Akgün, Haluk, Mahir Ada, and Mustafa Kerem Koçkar. 2015. “Performance assessment of a bentonite–sand mixture for nuclear waste isolation at the potential Akkuyu Nuclear Waste Disposal Site, southern Turkey.” Environmental Earth Sciences 73: 6101-6116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3837-x.

Akyuz, Emrah. 2017. “Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy in Turkey: Public perception.” Eurasian Journal of Environmental Research 1(1): 1-11.

Al-Ansari, Nadhir. 2019. “Hydro Geopolitics of the Tigris and Euphrates.” In: Recent Researches in Earth and Environmental Sciences: 2nd International Conference on Advanced Science and Engineering 2019 (ICOASE2019) Zakho-Duhok, Kurdistan Region-Iraq, April 2-4, 2019. Springer Proceedings in Earth and Environmental Sciences, edited by Yaseen T. Mustafa, Sattar Sadkhan, Subhi Zebari, Karwan Jacksi, 35-70. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18641-8_4.

Androulaki, Maria. 2022. “The Akkuyu NPP and Russian-Turkish Nuclear Cooperation: - Asymmetries and risks.” Hellenic Foundation For European and Foreign Policy, May 20 2022. Accessed July 30, 2023. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/2479875/the-akkuyu-npp-and-russian-turkish-nuclear-cooperation/3502046/.

Atlı, Altay. 2022. “Turkey’s Balancing Efforts in Its Economic Relations with Asia.” In: Turkey’s Asia Relations, edited by Omair Anas, 263-280. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93515-3_12.

Aydın, Cem İskender. 2018. “Nuclear energy in Turkey: past, present, and future.” Department of Economics, Yeditepe University, Notes on Economy 3: 1-16. Accessed July 30, 2023. https://iibf.yeditepe.edu.tr/sites/default/files/ikt_ekonominotlari5.pdf.

Aydın, Cem İskender. 2020. “Nuclear energy debate in Turkey: Stakeholders, policy alternatives, and governance issues.” Energy Policy 136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.111041.

Balkan Şahin, Sevgi, and Marella Bodur Ün. 2022. “Counter-hegemonic struggle and the framing practices of the anti-nuclear platform in Turkey (2002-2018).” Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space 40 (1): 31-49. https://doi.org/10.1177/23996544211000342.

Baltas, Hasan, Cafer Mert Yesilkanat, Erkan Kiris, and Murat Sirin. 2019. “A study of the radiological baseline conditions around the planned Sinop (Turkey) nuclear power plant using the mapping method.” Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 191 (660). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7982-2.

Bıçakcı, A. Salih, and Ayhan Gücüyener Evren. 2022. “Thinking multiculturality in the age of hybrid threats: Converging cyber and physical security in Akkuyu nuclear power plant.” Nuclear Engineering and Technology 54 (7): 2467-2474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2022.01.033.

Demircan, Pinar. 2020. “Sinop Nuclear Plant: Turkey seeks an EIA without a company for a reference reactor via DiaNuke.org.” The Atomic Age, July 5, 2020. Accessed July 30, 2023. https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/atomicage/2020/07/05/sinop-nuclear-plant-turkey-seeks-an-eia-without-a-company-for-a-reference-reactor-via-dianuke-org/.

Eliküçük Yıldırım, N. 2022. “Turkey-China Rapprochement: Turkey’s Reconstruction of Its Liminality?” In: Critical Readings of Turkey’s Foreign Policy. Palgrave Studies in International Relations, edited by Birsen Erdoğan, and Fulya Hisarlıoğlu, 173-192. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97637-8_8.

Erat, Selma, Azime Telli, Osman Murat Ozkendir, and Bunyamin Demir. 2021. “Turkey’s energy transition from fossil-based to renewable up to 2030: milestones, challenges and opportunities.” Clean Techn Environ Policy 23: 401-412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-020-01949-1.

Erensü, Sinan. 2017. “Turkey’s hydropower renaissance: nature, neoliberalism and development in the cracks of infrastructure.” In: Neoliberal Turkey and its discontents: Economic policy and the environment under Erdogan, edited by Fikret Adaman, Bengi Akbulut, and Murat Arsel, 120-146. London: I.B. Tauris.

Eroğlu, Muzaffer, and Matthias Finger. 2021. “Network Industries in Turkey: A Historical Approach.” In: The Regulation of Turkish Network Industries, edited by Muzaffer Eroğlu and Matthias Finger, 1-19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81720-6_1.

Gabrielyan, Hayk. 2022. “Turkey As a Transport Hub: A Vision Strategy for Integrating Regional Infrastructures and Services”. Journal of Political Science: Bulletin of Yerevan University 1 (1):11-29. https://doi.org/10.46991/JOPS/2022.1.1.011.

Gündoğan, Arif Cem, and Ethemcan Turhan. 2017. “China’s role in Turkey’s energy future: Temptation to invest in Turkey’s coal sector will test President Xi’s commitment to climate leadership.” China Dialogue, September 26, 2017. Accessed June 21, 2023. https://chinadialogue.net/en/business/10047-china-s-role-in-turkey-s-energy-future/.

Güney, Nurşin Ateşoğlu. 2016. Turkey as an Energy Hub for Europe. In: European Energy and Climate Security: Public Policies, Energy Sources, and Eastern Partners. Lecture Notes in Energy, vol 31, edited by Rossella Bardazzi, Maria Grazia Pazienza, and Alberto Tonini, 65-80. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21302-6_4.

Guo, Xiaoli, and Giray Fidan. 2018. “China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Turkey’s Middle Corridor: “Win-Win Cooperation”?” The Middle East Institute (MEI), June 26, 2018. Accessed June 21, 2023. https://www.mei.edu/publications/chinas-belt-and-road-initiative-bri-and-turkeys-middle-corridor-win-win-cooperation.

Gürel, Burak, and Mina Kozluca. 2022. “Chinese Investment in Turkey: The Belt and Road Initiative, Rising Expectations and Ground Realities.” European Review 30 (6): 806-834. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1062798721000296.

Harunoğullari, Muazzez. 2019. “Nükleer Enerji ve Geleceği.” Coğrafi Bilimler Dergisi 17: 110 -145. https://doi.org/10.33688/aucbd.554906.

Hourie, Roda. 2019. “Relationships of Syria and Turkey in the Sphere of Water Resources.” Post-Soviet Issues 6 (2): 203-212. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24975/2313-8920-2019-6-2-203-212.

Iban, Muzaffer Can, and Ezgi Sahin. 2022. “Monitoring land use and land cover change near a nuclear power plant construction site: Akkuyu case, Turkey.” Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 194, 724. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-10437-6.

Islar, Mine. 2012. “Privatised hydropower development in Turkey: A case of water grabbing?” Water Alternatives 5 (2): 376-391.

Kalehsar, Omid Shokri. 2019. “Energy Insecurity in Turkey: Opportunities for Renewable Energy.” ADBI Working Paper 1058. Tokyo: Asian Development Bank Institute. Accessed June 21, 2023. https://www.adb.org/publications/energy-insecurity-turkey-opportunities-renewable-energy.

Kalkan, Yunus. 2014. “Geodetic deformation monitoring of Ataturk Dam in Turkey.” Arabian Journal of Geosciences 7: 397-405. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-012-0765-5.

Karahan, Hatice. 2018. “Developing National Competence in Nuclear Energy: The Case of Turkey.” In: Turkish Economy, edited by Ahmet Faruk Aysan, Mehmet Babacan, Nurullah Gur, and Hatice Karahan, 337-354. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70380-0_15.

Kartal, Recai Feyiz, and Filiz Tuba Kadirioğlu. 2019. “Impact of regional tectonic and water stress on the seismicity in Ataturk Dam Basin: southeast of Turkey.” Journal of Seismology 23: 699-714. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-019-09830-5.

Kaya, Ferat, and Emirhan Göral. 2016. “Türkiye’nin Enerji Politikası.” Akademik Bakiş Dergisi - Uluslararası Hakemli Sosyal Bilimler E-Dergisi 57: 421-438.

Keçeci, Fikret Orçun. 2020. “Türkiye'nin Enerji Görünümü Ve Aralanan Fırsat Pencereleri.” Policy Brief 70. Global Political Trends Center (GPoT). Accessed July 30, 2023. https://www.iku.edu.tr/gpot/policy-brief-fikret-orcun-kececi-turkiyenin-enerji-gorunumu-ve-aralanan-firsat-pencereleri.

Kibaroglu, Aysegül, and Ramazan Caner Sayan. 2021. “Water and ‘imperfect peace’ in the Euphrates–Tigris river basin.” International Affairs 97 (1): 139-155. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiaa161.

Kryukov, Valeriy A. 2016. “Russia’s Oil Dilemmas. Production: To Go North-East or to Go Deep? Exports: Is a Compromise Between Westward and Eastward Directions Possible?” In: European Energy and Climate Security: Public Policies, Energy Sources, and Eastern Partners. Lecture Notes in Energy, vol 31, edited by Rossella Bardazzi, Maria Grazia Pazienza, and Alberto Tonini, 81-109. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21302-6_5.

Kulaç, Onur, and Mısra Ciğeroğlu Öztepe. 2020. “The renewable energy policy of Turkey under the impact of the European Union.” Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Vizyoner Dergisi 11 (28): 886-897. https://doi.org/10.21076/vizyoner.693835.

Kulaksız, Sıla. 2019. “Financial Integration via Belt and Road Initiative: China-Turkey Cooperation.” Global Journal of Emerging Market Economies 11 (1-2): 48-64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0974910119874632.

Ozmen, Suleyman Fatih. 2020. “Ecological assesment of Akkuyu nuclear power plant site marine sediments in terms of radionuclide and metal accumulation.” Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 325: 133-145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07201-w.

Ozturk, Murat, and Yunus Emre Yuksel. 2016. “Energy Structure of Turkey for Sustainable Development.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 53: 1259-1272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.09.087.

Pekar, Çiğdem. 2019. “Turkey’s Renewable Energy Prospects Toward the 100th Anniversary of the Republic.” In: Renewable Energy: International Perspectives on Sustainability, edited by Dmitry Kurochkin, Elena V. Shabliy, and Ekundayo Shittu, 181-210. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14207-0_7.

Şahin, Taner. 2021. “Regulation of the Turkish Wholesale Electricity Market: A General Overview.” In: The Regulation of Turkish Network Industries, edited by Muzaffer Eroğlu and Matthias Finger, 47-64. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81720-6_3.

Şenyel, Müzeyyen Anıl. 2019. “The Effects of Large-Scale Public Investment on Cities and Regions in Turkey.” In: Urban and Regional Planning in Turkey. The Urban Book Series, edited by Ö. Burcu Özdemir Sarı, Suna S. Özdemir, and Nil Uzun, 83-106. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05773-2_5.

Sun, Degang, Haiyan Xu, and Yichao Tu. 2022. “In with the New: China’s Nuclear-Energy Diplomacy in the Middle East.” Middle East Policy 29 (1): 41-60. https://doi.org/10.1111/mepo.12619.

TAEK. 2013. “Stratejik Plan 2014‐2018.” Ankara: Strateji Geliştirme Müdürlüğü. Accessed July 30, 2023. http://www.sp.gov.tr/upload/xSPStratejikPlan/files/e4iYq+TAEK_SON.pdf.

TAEK. 2019. “Stratejik Plan 2019-2023.” Ankara: Strateji Geliştirme Dairesi Başkanliği. Accessed July 30, 2023. http://www.sp.gov.tr/upload/xSPStratejikPlan/files/lxM6S+taek_sp.pdf.

Temurçin, Kadir, and Alpaslan Aliağaoğlu. 2003. “Nükleer enerji ve tartişmalar işiğinda türkiye’de nükleer enerji gerçeği (Nuclear energy and reality of nuclear energy in Turkey in the light of discussions).” Coğrafi Bilimler Dergisi 1 (2): 25-39.

Uyar, Tanay Sıdkı. 2017. “Barriers and Opportunities for Transformation of Conventional Energy System of Turkey to 100 % Renewable Community Power.” In: Towards 100% Renewable Energy: Techniques, Costs and Regional Case-Studies. Springer Proceedings in Energy, edited by Tanay Sıdkı Uyar, 105-118. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45659-1_10.

Varιş, Özge. 2020. “Turkey’s Energy Transition: Hydro-Carbons or Low-Carbons.” Global Energy Law and Sustainability 1 (1): 114-121. https://doi.org/10.3366/gels.2020.0010.

Yavuz, Cuneyt. 2023. “Distinctive Stochastic Tsunami Hazard and Environmental Risk Assessment of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant by Monte Carlo Simulations.” Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 48: 573-582. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-06938-8.

Zwahlen, Robert. 2022. Dam Projects: Pro and Contra. In: Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Hydropower Projects. Environmental Earth Sciences. Springer, Cham, 457-485. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91185-0_21.

Downloads

Published

2023-09-29

How to Cite

Avanesyan, M. (2023). The Role of Nuclear and Renewable Energy in Ensuring the Energy Security of Türkiye in the Face of New Challenges of Geo-economic Development. Journal of Political Science: Bulletin of Yerevan University, 2(2(5), 34–55. https://doi.org/10.46991/JOPS/2023.2.5.034

Issue

Section

Regional Policy